During the latest UIdaho Bound, the 2019 Common Read was announced to incoming University of Idaho students.
The Common Read is used to supplement the Integrated Seminar 101 class, as well as English 101 and 102 classes. But regardless of the year in college, all students are encouraged to read the book.
Dean Panttaja, the Common Read Committee chair and director of General Education, said he is happy with the choice the committee made.
“This book is about the rights of passage of coming into this country from a different culture,” said Panttaja.
Dean Panttaja | Courtesy
The Common Read committee chose “There There” by Tommy Orange, which is a collection of twelve stories about the experiences of fictional Native Americans who moved away from their reservation to the city. Although the stories are fictional, they still discuss certain problems these native groups face today.
“This is a really engaging and powerful story,” said Panttaja. “It doesn’t shy away from issues that surround the Native American population and how it affects their culture.”
While the stories are told separately, the characters ultimately end up in the same place near the book’s finish. It is set in Oakland, California, where Orange — who is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in Oklahoma — was born and raised.
The committee chose this book from a group of around 50 to 60 nominations from Moscow community members, as well as UI students, faculty and staff.
The Common Read is meant to engage students with a story that is related to the first-year experience in college. The goal of the Common Read Committee is to pick an engaging book that students can relate to.
Panttaja said that reception from students has been positive so far only weeks after the book was announced.
Tommy Orange | Courtesy
“There There” is the first novel that Orange has published. Orange recently graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Copies of the book are already available in the Vandal bookstore and BookPeople of Moscow for students to purchase.
Orange will visit the university Nov 5. to give his keynote address on the book. The speech starts at 7 p.m. in the Bruce Pitman Center International Ballroom.
The Common Read Committee hopes to select next year’s book by spring 2020 UIdaho Bound in order to get incoming students excited. Nominations, which can be sent to Panttaja at [email protected], for that Common Read will start being accepted in May.
Nicole Hindberg can be reached at [email protected]